This doesn't mean that Alexandra Park scored highest of any school in the tests, just that it was above all national averages. I'd be surprised if it wasn't beaten by various Far Eastern schools on an individual level.

Fantastic performance by the school. With about 25% disadvantaged pupils its clearly doing a fantastic job for all sections of the community. By the way 57% of disadvantaged pupils in the school get 5+ GCSEs, the same as the average for all pupils in Kent. Which is why of course the govt wants to follow the Kent model for education rather than the Alexandra Park one. Sigh.

Hmm frankly I'd be more impressed if it was a non London school in say a coastal area or a Northern town with high numbers of white working class boys and few immigrant families.

The school itself says it has some very privileged children. According to that BBC link all UK schools who did well were among the most advantaged in the UK in terms of social economics and cultural status.

Part of the catchment falls in MH but the other part goes all the way into Wood Green which can hardly be called an advantaged area. Only two MH primaries feed into it and the top kids from both tend to go Indy or grammar. It's nothing like MHs other secondary Fortismere. To have out performed all the indies in the sample is a huge accomplishment.

all UK schools who did well were among the most advantaged in the UK in terms of social economics and cultural status.

Why is anyone surprised or even depressed by that?

Aspirational families support their children to do well at school. No matter how brilliant the schools, the children from the supportive families will always do better because they are learning at home too ... even if not academically, then socially and culturally. And by "aspirational" I don't mean "middle-class" - I mean aspirational. Almost by definition there are plenty of aspirational families in immigrant/migrant populations who won't stay at the bottom of the tree for more than a generation or so. They will be the new middle class eventually.

Cities tend to have more migrants and therefore more aspirational families than rural areas, and London is the biggest city in the UK. Of course it is going to top the league (so long as teachers can afford to live there).

We need to worry about areas that have entrenched poverty-of-aspiration, and we need to pour resources into bouncing them out of it, but we shouldn't be surprised or depressed if they don't top any league tables in the meantime.

Reflux compared to areas in Britain miles away from London with high numbers of unemployment little aspiration,few immigrant families....... sorry I don't care how far the catchment goes,it's a world away. The lowest catchment in London will be out of the reach of the maj of families in Britain.

London also has heaps more funding. Said school overlooks a golf course and has acres of land to play with. Wonder how the comps with crumbling buildings,zero land,no London funding,zero aspirational families fare? Pointless stats. You pick away at Pisa tests and you see how unreliable they are.

The OECD also say it is the state schools with similar affluence to pupils in private schools that do well in these tests. Nuff said.

That's not to say all aspirational prod are rich of course. Many of us aspire to other things than money. But it's probably fair to say that all rich people are , for the most part, aspirational. Unless they've just won the lottery or had a big inheritance of course.